Three tips to a better bush broadband connection
Reliable broadband is essential for cattle properties. We know there are technical issues around internet connectivity we can’t control or change.
Regardless, as a farmer-owned company, we want to help you get the best internet service you can. We’ve gone ahead and asked an independent expert to give us three top tips to help you get the best broadband connection you can, when you are talking to your current internet provider or considering a switch.
1. Choose a reliable NBN SkyMuster Retail Service Provider (RSP). The number of RSPs and the packages they offer may be confusing. Who you choose is up to you, but things you could consider are:
a. Do they have a large number of subscribers (ideally 10,000+)?
b. Can they provide a fixed wireless service? (If you are anywhere near a town, fixed wireless is likely to be a better solution for you than SkyMuster.)
c. Can they meet any of your specific requirements (eg, provide a dedicated education port)?
2. Apply for a satellite dish on every eligible roof. Every roof that has an office or residence is eligible to have a satellite dish installed. And every dish will have its own broadband plan attached to it. So instead of running all your broadband needs off one dish, you could potentially have one for home, one for education, one for staff, and – crucially – one for the farm business and so on.
Having a dedicated dish and plan for your farm business should reduce the risk of you running out of data, compared to if you have a single plan that is also used for family needs.
You might not need all these dishes right now, but installation is free – your only commitment should be the cost of a router and prepayment of the first month of an internet service plan (as long as you don’t lock into an annual or bi-annual plan).
You will then always have a dish ready to be connected again if it is needed in future. A couple of other things to think about when choosing plans are:
a. Consider subscribing to the best and highest data plan you can. If you’ve chosen not to lock into an annual or bi-annual plan, you may be able to cancel after a month or reduce the size of the plan after a month if you don’t need all the data – but it’s good to start big and see what you use.
b. Name each dish/plan after the building, not a person. Naming plans after people makes it much harder to turn plans on and off as people come and go. The buildings will always be there.
3. Join the Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia (BIRRR) Facebook group. With 8,500 members, it’s almost certain many of your questions or problems would have already been asked here.
Disclaimer
OBE Beef Pty Ltd strives to provide up to date information, but does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information. Any errors in the information that are brought to our attention will be corrected as soon as possible. OBE Beef reserves the right to change at any time without notice any information in this blog post.
OBE Beef Pty Ltd provides links to an external website in this blog post. Monitoring and reviewing content of this third party external website is not the responsibility of OBE Beef Pty Ltd.
OBE Beef Pty Ltd accepts no liability for any loss or damage a person suffers because that person has directly or indirectly relied on any information in this blog post.
